Dare Adventure Nepal

Shashikant Agrawal, the manager of Marriott Hotel, says that the health protocol has brought problems even though it is open for tourist arrivals. "If I have to stay in quarantine for one day when I go abroad, I don't know which foreigner comes here to stay for seven days," said Agarwal. Now, Dubai has made a provision for those with a 72-hour PCR report to come back to their country. Entrepreneurs say that the possibility of tourists coming to Nepal immediately is low unless a similar provision is made.

Senior tourism entrepreneur Karna Shakya said that there is a need to amend the tourism-oriented protocol. He said that those with negative PCR report should come to Nepal without any condition. "No tourists come here because they are sick. They come here to have fun," said businessman Shakya. As Nepal's quarantine system is not good, it is necessary to relieve the tourists from such hassles.

Secretary General of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAN) Sarita Lama informed that the Ministry of Tourism has been suggested to reduce the quarantine system from 7 days to 3 days. She has requested the government to create a conducive environment for the tourists.

Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board Dhananjay Regmi said that the protocol targeting tourists is being amended. He said that the government is also creating an environment for tourists to come to Nepal easily and simply.

Trekking and mountaineering groups will also be allowed to take foreign clients up to the mountains from 17 October, government spokesperson and Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali told a briefing. The decisions were taken on Monday’s Cabinet meeting on the recommendation of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Committee (CCMC).

From 1 September, limited regular international flights were also allowed as long as the total number of arriving passengers daily did not exceed 800. Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Yogesh Bhattarai hinted last week that up to 3,000 passengers a day may soon be allowed to land.

Passengers must have RT PCR negative reports done 72 hours before departure. Despite this, inbound passengers have complained about unnecessarily long waits at holding centers in Kathmandu on arrival. 

 All the hotels in Nepal are almost empty since March. This decision of the Nepal Government makes it somehow a relief to Nepalese Hotel entrepreneur. Last year in 2019, 1.3 million tourists had arrived in Nepal but this year 2020 which was announced as visit year totally get lost due to the corona pandemic. It is a bitter history in the tourism history of Nepal. 

Tourism brought in $700 million in 2018-19 and makes up 8% of Nepal's GDP. Nearly half-a-million Nepalis are directly employed in the trekking and mountaineering sector, with 2 million others benefiting indirectly from tourism.

Nepal is the paradise for trekking, heaven for adventure lovers. Trekking is the biggest sector that makes Nepal known to the world. Everest Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Base Camp Trek, Everest Expedition, Off the beaten path trek are the most famous trekking and adventure destination in Nepal.

Even prior to this announcement, two expeditions had been granted permission to climb in Nepal. One was a special permit for the as all-Nepali expedition to Baruntse which has already left for base camp, and the other to a 15-member Bahraini Military expedition to Mt Manaslu that includes three Britons. The Bahrainis are arriving in Kathmandu on a charter flights on Wednesday.